Oct 15, 2015
SFFILM
San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Film Society and New Italian Cinema Events of Florence, Italy present New Italian Cinema, November 11–15 at the Vogue Theatre (3290 Sacramento Street). The five-day festival is dedicated to bringing new films from Italy to enthusiastic Bay Area audiences. Celebrating its 19th exciting year in San Francisco, the festival opens with the Taviani brothers’ Wondrous Boccaccio, and the weekend’s festivities finish up with Nanni Moretti’s latest mix of comedy and drama, Mia Madre.
For complete program information, visit sffs.org/Exhibition/Fall-Season.
Exploring the rich cinematic tradition of Italy and discovering its newest generation of filmmakers, this 19th edition of New Italian Cinema will feature new work from some of the country’s brightest luminaries as well as exciting emerging talent. From nuanced coming-of-age dramas to depictions of artistic lives onstage or onscreen, this year’s slate revels in the art of storytelling. Bookended by the work of masters Paolo Sorrentino, Nanni Moretti and the Taviani brothers, the series also presents seven compelling works by up-and-coming directors competing for the City of Florence Award. The award will be decided by audience ballot and announced at a Closing Night presentation preceding the screening of Mia Madre on Sunday, November 15.
“As always, it’s a great pleasure to survey the current scene in Italian filmmaking and to get a chance to see the latest output of the region, both from known masters and up-and-coming talent,” said SFFS Programmer Rod Armstrong. “From the fact-based story of African refugees trying to find a new home to a charming romantic drama that reinvents commedia dell’arte for the 21st century, this year’s competition films suggest a bold and brilliant future for Italian moviemaking.”
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 11
6:00 pm Wondrous Boccaccio OPENING NIGHT
Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani (Italy/France 2014, 121 min)
In this lively adaptation of The Decameron, a group of young women and men hope to escape the Black Plague by journeying to the countryside where they tell one another stories, most of which center around the theme of forbidden love. The resulting concoction of multiple narratives, starring several well-known Italian actors such as Kim Rossi Stuart and Riccardo Scamarcio, is a splendid reminder of the joys of storytelling and the verdant delights of Tuscany.
9:00 pm Youth
Paolo Sorrentino (Italy/France/UK/Switzerland 2015, 118 min)
Following up his universally heralded The Great Beauty (NIC 2013), Paolo Sorrentino returns again to contemplate life, love, aging and man’s continued search for happiness in this English-language tale starring Michael Caine as retired orchestra conductor Fred Ballinger and Harvey Keitel as film director Mick Boyle. The resulting film is a visual treat as the camera roams the nooks and crannies of its resort locale whose guests have come to contemplate beauty in its myriad forms.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 12 – City of Florence Award Competition Films
6:30 pm God Willing
Edoardo Falcone (Italy 2015, 85 min) 2015 David di Donatello Award for Best New Director
A young man’s religious awakening becomes the fulcrum for familial upheaval in this playful comedy-drama. When Andrea tells his parents he has something to tell them, they believe he’s going to come out as gay; instead, he confesses that he wants to be a priest, a far more shocking revelation to his arrogant, atheist father.
8:30 pm Cloro (Chlorine)
Lamberto Sanfelice (Italy 2015, 94 min)
Delicately tracking how traumatic change can lead to newfound maturity and presenting a memorably defined sense of place, Cloro tells the story of 17-year-old synchronized swimmer Jenny who is uprooted by family misfortunes. Director Lamberto Sanfelice’s potent debut is told with care and precision, features a terrific performance by lead actor Sara Serraiocco and employs an intimate style reminiscent of the Dardenne brothers.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13 – City of Florence Award Competition Films
6:30 pm Mediterranea
Jonas Carpignano (Italy/France/USA/Germany/Qatar 2015, 107 min)
SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grant Winner
Putting a personal face on the plethora of stories about African immigrants trying to make it to European shores, Mediterranea details the perilous journey of a young man named Ayiva from Burkina Faso to the southwestern Italian town of Rosarno. Told in vérité style and based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Koudous Seihon, the film offers a profoundly humanist reality to counteract the dismissive political rhetoric surrounding immigration.
9:00 pm My Name Is Maya
Tommaso Agnese (Italy 2015, 95 min)
In this vibrant portrait of urban street life and adolescent angst, two sisters lose their mother in a car accident. Faced with separate foster care situations that will put them in different countries, the girls run away, pursued by a caring social worker named Cecilia. Encountering a colorful cross-section of Roman citizens, including a handsome fire-eater and a dissolute tattoo artist, the siblings reckon with their circumstances.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14 – City of Florence Award Competition Films
1:00 pm Italo
Alessia Scarso (Italy 2015, 104 min) Director expected
Based on a true story and a real dog, Italo focuses on a friendly golden retriever who displays an aversion to leashes and fences and prefers to roam the streets unguided, even though the Sicilian town he’s chosen has recently placed on a ban on strays. Displaying all the waggish charms of small-town life, Alessia Scarso’s touching film is sure to be beloved by connoisseurs of canine cinema.
3:45 pm I, Harlequin
Matteo Bini, Giorgio Pasotti (Italy 2014, 90 min) Co-director expected
A successful talk show host named Paolo steps into his father’s performing shoes in this rich and heartwarming film set in the world of commedia dell’arte that playfully reinvents that theatrical tradition for the 21st century. Learning to play the part of the mischievous servant known as Harlequin when his dad can no longer play the character due to health problems, the telegenic TV star gains a new respect for his old man’s life and work.
9:30 pm Partly Cloudy with Sunny Spells
Marco Pontecorvo (Italy 2015, 92 min) Director expected
Satirizing small-town life and politics while telling the touchingly comic story of friends at an impasse, this film follows two founders of a manufacturing cooperative who discover oil on their factory’s property. Noted Italian actors Luca Zingaretti and Pasquale Petrolo shine as the two co-op leaders while John Turturro brings an effortless comedic polish to his role as a consulting mining engineer from the US who arrives with dollar signs in his eyes.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15
12:30 pm Leopardi
Mario Martone (Italy 2014, 137 min)
Filmed in the actual house, library and streets where 19th-century Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi (played in an unforgettable performance by Elio Germano) lived, Mario Martone’s sumptuous period piece offers a scintillating depiction of the life and times of a young writer whose frail body could not keep pace with his intellect. Like Martone’s previous film, the historical epic We Believed (NIC 2013), Leopardi brings the past to life with sumptuous visuals and a propulsive narrative.
6:15 pm Mia Madre CLOSING NIGHT
Screening preceded by City of Florence Award presentation
Nanni Moretti (Italy/France 2015, 106 min)
In Nanni Moretti’s latest moving and comedic work, a filmmaker named Margherita is directing a social-realist drama about a factory sit-in when her mother’s illness leads her to confront her own past. Compellingly delineating the burdens of balancing artistic and familial life, with a radiant central performance by Margherita Buy, Mia Madre also features John Turturro as an over-the-top Hollywood actor named Barry Huggins and Moretti himself as Margherita’s brother Giovanni.
Film tickets $12 for SFFS members, $14 general, $13 seniors, students and persons with disabilities, $10 children (12 and under); Fall Season CineVoucher 10-Packs $110 for SFFS members, $130 general. Box office now open online at sffs.org.
To request screeners and interviews contact bproctor@sffs.org.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.
New Italian Cinema is presented in collaboration with New Italian Cinema Events (nicefestival.org) and the Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco; and the Consulate General of Italy. Additional sponsorship is provided by BAIA; Cloud4Wi; Comune di Firenze; Fondazione Sistema Toscana; MiBACT; and Regiona Toscana. Special support provided by John and Karen Diefenbach. Media sponsors are KQED, SF Weekly, San Francisco Examiner and SF Evergreen.